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Smart Region – How can we get there? (Conference FULLY BOOKED!)

The recently released Commission communication on investing in the development of low carbon technologies (Strategic Energy Technology Plan - SET) referred amongst others to the smart cities initiative, put in place to support not only cities but also regions in taking ambitious steps to a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

The word ‘smart' has become a trendy buzz-word. But what does it really mean? What is a smart region? How can a region become ‘smart'? What makes one region smarter than another one? The Commission communication refers to systemic approaches and organisational innovation, encompassing energy efficiency, low carbon technologies and the smart management of supply and demand, but how can a region develop and measure these actions and how can they be transferred across the EU?

This event will address these issues in an interactive way and will include a panel discussion of regional practitioners, Commission officials and energy experts. It will help regional innovation stakeholders and actors to develop better understanding of the concept of ‘smart region' and interregional relationships, allow the sharing of best practice and benchmarking, and will encourage a wider take up of ‘smart' policies, practices and technologies.

For more information please visit http://www.errin.eu/

Provisional Programme             

14.00  Registration/coffee

14.30  Welcome by ERRIN Energy  and Climate Change Group Ms Xenia Tsitiridou, European Policy Adviser, West Midlands in Europe

Moderator of the day Mr Angelo Consoli - Energy Expert  

14.40  Smart Cities 

• Scotland Region: The Glasgow experience
  Mr Richard Bellingham, Project Director and Senior Research Fellow at Strathclyde's Fraser of Allander Institute
• Andalusia Region: The Malaga experience - The Smartcity Project
  Dr Antonio Torralba, AICIA
• Panel discussion with Mr Georges Kremlis, DG ENVI - Mr Jean-Marie Bemtgen, DG Energy - Mr Pedro Ballesteros Torres, DG Energy

15.20 Smart Regions

• Flanders Region: The Local Intelligent Networks for Energy Access Regions (LINEAR) project
  Ms Eefje Peeters, Smart Systems Manager, VITO (Flemish Institute for Technological Research)
• Piedmont Region: An integrated approach for a Smart Region
  Ms Silvia Rovere, EU Projects Coordinator
• Poitou Charentes Region: The regional Solar Energy Plan 2009-2012
  Ms Anna Wachowiak-Behar, Environmental Excellence Policy Officer
• Veneto Region: Creating regional chains
  Mr Federico Correale, Bioenergy Expert, Veneto Agricoltura
• Panel discussion with Mr Georges Kremlis, DG ENVI - Mr Jean-Marie Bemtgen, DG Energy - Mr Pedro Ballesteros Torres, DG Energy

16.10 Smart Europe

• Climate KIC: Central Hungary, Lower Silesia, Hessen, Emilia-Romagna, Valencia, West Midlands
  Dr Simon Buckle, Climate Policy Director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change, Imperial College London
• IEE ENNEREG Project
  Ms Katy Hall, Managing Director, CPL Press (Member of the ManagEnergy Support Team 2001-2011 and dissemination of ENNEREG)
  Mr Nils Daugaard, Partner, ECNet, (Project Leader ENNEREG, ECNet)
• Panel discussion with Mr Georges Kremlis, DG ENVI - Mr Jean-Marie Bemtgen, DG Energy - Mr Pedro Ballesteros Torres, DG Energy - Alessandro Fazio, Management Consultant

17.00 Conclusions and wrap up session